Liquid Lunch
by Fraser13
Summary: After 10 teens are found dead by way if consuming lethal amounts of absin, the team have a week to solve the case. 2008 problems from a 1981 perspective, the making of life on mars!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **

**All brand names used in the following are the rightful property of their owners. Ashes to Ashes is the property of Kudos and the British Broadcasting Corporation. **

Camera flashed in the early day as the police tried in vain to move the press on. The call had been made an hour ago, a neighbour complaining about a party going on next door. He police had answered, but the party-goers had fled, leaving a dead young man with a dozen bottles of asbin covering him like a sheet.

A red Audi Quattro screeched to a halt, and four detectives had climbed out. Two males had ploughed through the crowd of journalists and photographers, clearing the way for their superior officers.

The coppers strode through the front garden before being stopped by a overall-wearing policeman, who pushed overalls in the front officers face, before being pushed into a wall.

"Bloody forensics" Gene Hunt growled. "What do we know about 'im?"

"Mortimer Hicks. College drop-out, history of GBH and fencing stolen goods. Always cleared by his parent's lawyers, before being whisked away in a Rolls-Royce, only to escape the following night" Alex informed her colleagues. "No chance of covering it up this time though" she indicated towards the press wrestling with the uniformed officers now, cameras flashing aimlessly toward the house.

"Likes his drink, don't 'e?" Gene added.

"His latest method of parent-upsetting no doubt" Alex answered.

"So what we doin' 'ere guv', this in't CID stuff. We know what killed 'im, too much o' this shit!" Ray asked, kicking an bottle of the body.

"Ten deaths in two months from the same drink, in same labelled bottles. I want to know who's dealing, where, when and how the bloody hell it's escaped our radar!"

"Right guv'" Ray and Chris chorused.

"Binge drinking" Alex stated outside the house, the press now slowly disappearing.

"Eh'?" Gene asked, confounded.

"It's what's killing off the kids. Drinking large amounts in a short period."

"You mean contests?" Gene answered, still with a look of confusion on his face.

"No" Alex replied, sounding exasperated. "Drinking lots just for the sake of drinking lots. You wait, more and more people will turn to it as time goes on."

"Not on my patch!" Gene concluded. "Oh shit!" he remarked under his breath as a Ford Taunus drove up the road, sirens blaring from it.

The car stopped and an balding man with large glasses, and what Alex thought was a remarkable similarity to George Cowley.

"DCS Hicks. To what to do we owe this pleasure" Gene greeted politely.

"Your remarkable ineptness is what you owe Chief Inspector. Ten deaths in two months, it's obscene! I'm handing the case to the Drug Squad."

"But that's not their job, Clive!" Gene complained.

"I'm sure they will handle it as well as if it were a drug crime. I need efficiency from my men Gene. That's where you fail" Hicks finished.

"Just one more week Clive, and I'll nail the bastards killing these kids. Evidence, witnesses, everything!" Gene pleaded.

Hicks sighed then spoke: "One week. And if the culprits aren't identified, I'll make you the first case of death by training courses!"

"I promise, culprits in a week" Gene promised.

"I'll be watching this space" DCS Hicks warned, turning back to his car.

"Git!" Ray whispered when Hicks had gone.

Gene turned to Ray. "That man just gave me the best chance for promotion since that sting on Archers Lane. And I intend to grab it by the balls, and hang on for my life!" he barked.

"Yes guv'. Sorry guv'" Ray apologised, shame-faced.

"Cris! Move yehself' and let's go catch some scum!" Gene told the group


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: DCS stands for Detective Chief Superintendent. I do not intend to write a GALEX fanfic.**

"Victim took in enormous amounts of absinthe, enough to achieve blindness..."

"Blindness?" Alex snapped.

"Absinthe doesn't kill you DI Drake. It's a hallucinogenic and can cause blindness. Both conditions can be achieved if enough absinthe is taken in" the toxicologist replied knowingly.

"So if the booze didn't kill 'im" Gene thought aloud. "What did?"

"In the victims system, I found arsenic. Probably been hidden in a piece of food."

"This is different from the other poisonings, none of the others had been poisoned."

"Well, when you find the booze, maybe you'll find the arsenic. Good luck" the toxicologist replied conclusively, hanging up his lab coat and walking off.

"DCS Hicks has **kindly** given us one week to find and arrest the culprits. We are starting from scratch with nothing but dead bodies in our minds and the press on our backs. So get a move on!" Gene snapped at the gathered detectives.

With gruff "yes guv"'s the men hurried off, some picking up phones, others thumping down on chairs, and sweeping paperwork off their desks.

"He'll have to wait! I'm on fire!" Gene replied joyfully.

DCS Hicks pushed through the doors and wandered through the CID office, his eyes swivelling across the room. "I'm impressed, DCI Hunt. Drug Squad couldn't rally this much enthusiasm from its officers."

"Thank you sir" Gene thanked Hicks, his eyes screwed up slightly in suspicion.

"Guv'. A John Rhine's on the horn. Says he got some info for yeh'".

"He'll have to call back".

"Reading reports, following leads. This isn't your style Gene, it's much to 'by the book'."

"We're under public pressure Clive, need to be seen to be clean as my old guvnor said."

"Harry Woolfe was it? Arrested for masterminding armed robberies and the death of his safe cracker. Let's hope it hasn't rubbed off eh?" he asked with a chuckle.

Gene stayed silent, savouring his revenge.

As the red Quattro pulled up the back street, they found the road blocked by a Ford Taunus.

The Quattro stopped and the passengers and driver climbed out and walked past wrestling press and ducked under the police tape.

DCS "Cowley" Hicks approached them. "DCI Hunt, DI Drake, DS Carling, DC Skelton. We have another murder on our hands." he said in joyfully.

"What's so funny sir?" Ray asked stony-faced.

"Another crime the media can hold against us. And the joy is a little-known practice called sarcasm, Sergeant."

"You can laugh all you want, **sir**. But you will not insult my officers, Clive" Gene growled.

While the egos clashed, Alex surveyed the victim. A small spotty teen with rough wool jumper and jeans, with a bloodied patch and a tear on the jumper.

"I recognise 'im. Isn't he..." Ray started.

"John Rhine. One of our snouts" Gene finished, the shock engulfing his face.

"The plot thickens" Hicks summarised. "The crook behind the murder of Terry Fisher, must know we're onto them. We have to work quickly and efficiently. The former is a skill of yours, Hunt, it's the latter I worry about."

And with a sliver of a smile, he climbed into his Taunus and his driver crawled the car off, giving time for officers to jump to the walls bordering the walls.

"He gives us a fair chance of catching a criminal, but fits insults into every sentence." Alex questioned.

"He's not been DCS for that long, see. 'Bout month ago, DCS Hopper, kicked the bucket, cancer I think, and Hicks from Public Relations cums in, takes his place." Chris told Alex.

"So people die of cancer every year."

"Hopper was 40 and was always getting' in trouble fer' using expenses for his gym membership." Gene answered. "Plus, Harry Woolfe's crimes were kept under wraps, GMP Commissioner said it was bad PR. Hicks has bin' diggin', an' I don't like it."

"Wright Avenue. It's only a minute or so away from HQ" Alex thought aloud. "Didn't John Rhine call for you with some information this morning. But you told them to call back".

"Right in front o' Hicks" Gene added.

"Should we tell upstairs, guv'." Chris asked, tentatively.

"Hicks is clean. Knows the right people, shows up at the right time. And I made my opinion about Hicks known right in front of the Commissioner. Nah' we'll have to sort this out ourselves. But keep it quiet all right!" Gene told the group.

The Quattro's radio crackled in the background. Gene strode over.

"Hunt".

"Boss. PC Green reported some suspicious movements at Quay 1".

"Rodger that. We'll be over in a sec'. Bolly! Ray, Chris! Get in!"

The three hurried over and the Quattro raced off.


End file.
